Poverty worries make elderly ill, says report

One in four older people in the UK are so worried about the future that it is making them ill, according to a report which finds that poverty and loneliness are endemic among pensioners.

The annual Spotlight report by Help the Aged says 11% of UK pensioners - 1.2 million people - were living in severe poverty, on less than half of typical earnings, in 2005-06. Nearly double that number - 21%, or 2.2 million people - were classified as living in poverty, with incomes less than 60% of average earnings. In the past year, things have got worse for an additional 200,000 pensioners plunged into fuel poverty, with 1.5 million now spending at least 10% of their income on fuel, mostly to stay warm. Help the Aged says the government has reneged on its promise to end fuel poverty by 2010, and has admitted that by that date there will still be 1.2 million struggling to afford to heat their homes.

The report shows that life is worsening in many respects for pensioners, says Help the Aged. "It's appalling that we live in a society where older people feel sick with worry about the future," said Paul Cann, director of policy and external relations.

On the positive side, 9% of pensioners say their life has improved in the last 12 months, compared with 7% last year.

But more people say they are not receiving the help they need to get out of the house - 290,634, compared with 210,000 last year. The proportion who say they are not treated with dignity in hospital - the subject of a government campaign that is being launched tomorrow - remained at 22%. "The government has an enormous job to do to improve the lives of older people," said Cann.